SINGAPORE - Families will be able to take their open strollers on board public buses from April 2.

The move is intended to make public transport more family-friendly, but there are still some safety concerns.

Here are some guidelines to take note of when taking your stroller on a bus.

1. Open strollers are allowed on all public buses, but parents and caregivers are encouraged to bring open strollers onto wheelchair accessible buses as they are designed for easier boarding and have more space available. They can be recognised by the wheelchair decal on the front windscreen.

2. As a general guide, the open stroller should be not more than 1.2m long and 70cm wide.

3. If the open stroller is unable to fit through the doorway of the bus, it must be folded when boarding and alighting. Parents/caregivers are also encouraged to fold the stroller when boarding non-wheelchair accessible buses for the safety of the child.

Boarding/Alighting procedure

4. Parents/caregivers are responsible for the child's safety throughout the journey, including boarding and alighting. The ramp will not be deployed for the open strollers, unless necessary. Parents/caregivers can approach the bus captain if they require assistance.

5. Parents/caregivers with open strollers should wait at the priority queues/zones at bus interchanges. If not available, they can wait next to the queues. Passengers in wheelchairs will be given priority to board the bus, followed by parents/caregivers with strollers and then other passengers.

6. Parents/caregivers with open strollers should board by the front door where possible. The rear door should be used only if the strollers are unable to fit through the front door or where access to the front door is obstructed, for example, by steps and railings.

7. Parents/caregivers who board by the rear door should alert the bus captain before doing so, and tap their fare cards or make payments by cash at the front of the bus.

8. If the bus is already crowded when it reaches the bus interchange/stop, the bus captain may request the parents/caregivers boarding the bus to fold their strollers. Alternatively, the parents/caregivers can choose to wait for the next bus. Should the bus get crowded when the open stroller is already on board, the stroller is not required to be folded.

9. Parents/caregivers with open strollers should alight by the rear door.

Placement of stroller on buses

10. Open strollers should be placed in the designated wheelchair space where available, with the brakes applied. If the safety restraint is available on the bus, parents and caregivers are encouraged to use it to secure their stroller.

11. Passengers in wheelchairs will be given priority to use the designated wheelchair space.

12. The bus captain can request the parent/caregiver of the stroller which is already occupying the designated wheelchair space, to give way to the wheelchair by folding the stroller.

13. Open strollers must not be placed in the aisle or in any other location that obstructs the entry or exit of passengers, including the upper deck of a double-deck bus.

14. Regardless of whether there is or is not a safety restraint, parents/caregivers are fully responsible for the safety of the child when on board the bus, and should hold onto the open stroller throughout the journey.